1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a conveyor apparatus for conveying spinning bobbins through an underground runway located between an automatic winder and a spinning frame.
2. Prior Art
In this conventional type of conveyor apparatus, when a spinning bobbin 52 wound with spun yarn from a spinning frame 51 is carried on a conveyor 53, there is used a tray 55 having a peg 54 erected thereon, on which a spinning bobbin 52 is inserted. The tray 55 supporting the bobbin is conveyed on a conveyor belt 58 arranged below while being guided at its neck 50 along a guide plate 57 having a guide groove 56.
The spinning bobbin 52, when conveyed to the automatic winder 59, is led downwardly by means of a curved guide 61 for passing the bobbin beneath a passage 60, transporting along an underground runway 62 formed below the passage 60. When the underside of the tray 55 is pushed by a rod 64 actuated by an intermittent feed mechanism 63, the spinning bobbin being guided along a curved guide 65 is pushed upward, then being conveyed on a conveyor belt 66 of the automatic winder 49. The empty bobbin unwound at the automatic winder 59 is returned to the spinning frame through similar conveyor means.
The conventional underground conveyor apparatus described above can not be curved with a small curvature radius because of restrictions on the winding diameter of the spinning bobbin and on the curvature of the curved guide 61. Accordingly it is impossible to decrease the spacing L between the end of the passage 60 and the spinning frame 51 and between the other end of the passage 60 and the automatic winder 59.
The conveyor apparatus, therefore, has such a drawback that a dead space between the spinning frame and the automatic winder in a factory increases. In addition, there exists such a drawback that the depth H of the underground runway 62 requires a substantial increase because of a necessity for the height of the bobbin and for a mounting space for the intermittent feed mechanism 63 which pushes the bottom face of the tray 55, resulting in an increased cost of construction.